Better than any "Aha!" Moment

When I was younger, I always thought that I’d reach a certain time in my life where I’d know what I was doing. For example, when I was 8 or 9, I thought that surely by the time I was 15 I would be so much more knowledgeable and know more of who I was. Or when I was a freshman in high school, I thought that by the time I graduated I’d know what I would want to major in and where I should go to college. In my naivety, I thought that one day I would have an “Aha!” moment, and suddenly my confusion and uncertainty about the unknown future would go away.


That “Aha!” moment never came.

 

But the more I’ve thought and prayed about it, I’m glad. I may not know the future, but my heavenly Father does. My uncertainty causes me to depend on Him, which is the way it should be.

 

And God, in His loving care, has not left you and me alone to walk blindly through this journey of life. He has given us His Holy Spirit, the ability to talk with Him anytime and anywhere through prayer, and the Bible.

 

“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet,

            And a light unto my path.”

                        Psalm 119:105

 

God’s word is a lamp for our feet, and a light for our path! We are not left to stumble in the darkness. We have been given a light.

 

A devotional I read a few days ago describes this perfectly:

“When it comes to God’s plans for our lives, we like to know where God is taking us, the steps we need to take to get there and all of the wonderful details of how He is going to do it.  However, we find that God doesn’t reveal everything to us, but only what He wants us to know and what we are ready to receive.  No matter how in the dark you feel about God’s direction for your life, there is always a light shining on a particular task He wants us to do, even if that task is to spend more time with Him in prayer and study of the Bible.  You will find that as you walk in obedience to what you know to do, God will begin to reveal more in time.  He always will give us direction and light, just maybe not in the areas we want it in.  In Biblical times, night travelers would tie clay lamps to their ankles so that they could see the path right in front of them.  Their path didn’t blaze with light showing the entire road.  They only could see the steps right in front of them to take.  God’s Word is a lamp unto our feet and is a light to our path (Psalm 119:105).  His Word shows us what we need to do step by step.” (From Daughters of the King, daily devotional “One Step at a Time”)

 

As much as I would like to know the big picture and what God’s plan for me is, I’m thankful that I don’t know all of it. If I did, it would be too easy to live my life independently from God, instead of in dependence on Him. I also think that it would be way too overwhelming. Our God, in His loving-kindness, leads us day by day, moment by moment, if we choose to follow Him. He reveals a little bit of the picture at a time, all in His perfect timing.

 During the times when the uncertainty of the future is daunting and overwhelming, my Father whispers His promises…

 

“I am with you always, to the very end of age.” (Matthew 28:20)

 

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5)

 

“My peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

 

I may not know the future, but I know Who holds the future.

 

And that is better than any “Aha!” moment.

The Potter

“This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.”  So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel.  But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.” Nehemiah 18:1-4

 

“Yet you, Lord, are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand.”  Isaiah 64:8

 

He is the Potter. We are the clay.

 

The Potter has a vision for what He is forming. He has a specific purpose in mind for the clay in His hands. It is His choice whether he turns the clay into something for “special purposes” or for “common use,” (Romans 9:21) both of which are important and essential. Who is the clay to question its Potter? The Potter knows best, and knows how the formed clay will be best used.

 

He is the Potter. We are the clay.

 

The Potter chooses how He will form the clay, whether through reshaping, pressure, or through fire. It is His choice. It is also His choice whether or not to break the clay back down into a soft lump, in order to reshape it for His purposes.

 

It’s that last thought that has been on my mind. It hadn’t really occurred to me, until my pastor spoke about it. When I would read the verses above, I would always think about God being the Potter, meaning that He is the One who formed me and the One who is shaping me into the person He wants me to be.

 And that is all true.

 However, I hadn’t thought about the fact that God, being my Potter, has the power and the right to break me down so that I can be remolded in to something of greater use in His Kingdom.

 Then I started thinking… have I ever prayed that? That God would break me down, to make me into whatever and whoever He has in mind?

 

Honestly, that’s a scary prayer to pray.
But I’m going to start praying it.

 

I remember playing with play-doh when I was younger. The best play-doh was the soft, moldable clay. I would always choose to play with that over the hardened playdoh. The soft clay was so much better and so much more useful.

 

That’s what I want to be. Soft, moldable clay. Able to be shaped into whatever my Potter wants. And if He needs to break me down to get me to be the soft clay, then so be it. I pray that I’ll be open to whatever my Potter wants to do in my life.

 

He is the Potter. I am the clay.

 

“Take me.
Mold me.
Use me.
Fill me.
I give my life to the Potter’s hand.
Call me.
Guide me.
Lead me.
Walk beside me.
I give my life to the Potter’s hand.”
                                    -Hillsong United

My Good Shepherd

Yesterday morning I read Psalm 23, and God opened my eyes to the truth contained in that short chapter in a new way. I’ve read Psalm 23 countless times before, so when I began reading it that morning I wasn’t necessarily expecting to learn something new, but God wanted to remind me Who He is.

“The Lord is my shepherd,” David writes at the beginning of the chapter. I started thinking about shepherds, and how they tend to their sheep with care. They care for them, making sure that they have what they need to live and thrive.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, and he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.”

God is my Shepherd, and He will provide what I need. Like the shepherd tends to his sheep, leading them to green pastures (providing them with the nourishment they need), God provides what I need. The shepherd leads his sheep to quiet waters (so that the sheep would not be frightened by rushing water, and so that they would actually drink from it). God is leading me, He is providing what I need, and calming my fears. My Shepherd restores my soul!

“He [My Shepherd] guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.”
God is guiding me along the right path. Like a good sheep I need to keep close to Him, following Him wherever He leads. Sheep don’t know where they are being led, but they follow their shepherd anyway. Sheep go astray, need to be found and led back to the right path. Sheep are dumb animals, and need someone to guide them to the things they need (like food and water). I don’t think it was a coincidence that we are compared to sheep many times in the Bible. We are sheep, and because of that we need a Shepherd!

“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way” Isaiah 53:6

“I have strayed like a lost sheep.” Psalm 119:176

“Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” Psalm 100:3

The Bible compares us over and over again to sheep, and calls Jesus our Shepherd. In John 10, it says that “he [the Good Shepherd, or Jesus] goes on ahead of them [the sheep], and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” Did you catch that last part? The sheep follow him, because they know his voice. They recognize that He is their shepherd. They know his voice, and therefore know that they should follow Him.

Psalm 23 goes on to say that “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Because my Shepherd is leading me, I don’t need to be afraid. There is evil in the world around me, but my Shepherd is guiding me, so I need not fear.

As I read Psalm 23, especially the first four verses, God reminded me that He is my Shepherd, and that He is in control.

Daughter, you are just a sheep, but fear not the evil that surrounds you in this life. I am your Shepherd, and I am leading you. I am guiding you along the path of righteousness, for My Name’s sake. Times may seem troubled, but I am leading you to quiet waters. It is not for you to determine when you will get there, for I know the right time. Trust me as I lead; I will provide what you need.

Trust Me. I am your Shepherd, follow My voice.